ROCHESTER, N.Y. April 1—Kodak’s exhibit at the NEXPO ’06 will highlight innovative prepress and postpress solutions for the newspaper industry designed to add speed, flexibility and productivity to the pressroom.
“Outstanding newspaper solutions from Kodak for both prepress and postpress are being shown at NEXPO,” said Neil McLean, Worldwide Newspaper Director, Kodak. “Kodak offers an extremely broad range of products designed specifically for newspapers. The portfolio ranges from prepress production workflow systems to offset printing plates and postpress digital printing systems to better control costs and enhance productivity by maintaining fidelity and maximum throughput at every step of the production process.”
Held in conjunction with the Newspaper Association of America’s annual conference, NEXPO is the world’s largest annual newspaper exhibition and conference. It is expected 6,000 newspaper and technology experts will attend the event in Chicago’s McCormick Place.
Solutions that Kodak will feature at NEXPO booth 1062 include:
•KODAK NewsManager workflow system version 1.1, which adds new features to the already powerful PDF managed workflow tool for high performance newspaper prepress. It enables a flexible, automated workflow from edition plan to plate production. Based on open standards, it easily integrates into existing systems. The NewsManager 1.1 system is scaleable to meet all needs, from contract printers to metropolitan, national and international newspapers with multiple print sites. The NewsManager 1.1 system adds an enhanced web based user interface, delivering a new generation user experience, including dynamic thumbnail views, new scheduling options, soft proofing, improved security settings and personalized language options.
•The KODAK PRINERGY Evo workflow system, with proven tools for preflight, normalizing, color management, trapping, optimizing, rendering, and screening. Streamlined processes with easy to use template based workflow automation help newspapers deal with last minute changes easily, without causing delays. In conjunction with KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS thermal platesetters, the KODAK PRINERGY Evo system delivers speed, control and flexibility so newspapers can extend editorial and ad deadlines, and output large numbers of pages more quickly. Based on the latest standards, and proven KODAK PRINERGY refine technology, KODAK PRINERGY Evo software delivers exceptional PDF processing power.
•KODAK InSite software, which streamlines the process of job submission, job status tracking, online collaboration, and remote proofing or approval. InSite software is an Internet portal into the KODAK PRINERGY system prepress environment.
•KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS thermal platesetter, which now features enhanced speed. The five speed options available with the KODAK TRENDSETTER NEWS thermal CTP device have all been increased by up to 20 percent, providing SQUARESPOT thermal plate imaging throughputs, matching the fastest visible Gaussian violet platesetters. The TRENDSETTER NEWS device speeds range from 60 to more than 240 plates per hour to suit newspaper printing facilities of all sizes. The TRENDSETTER NEWS platesetter delivers fast, reliable imaging with a standard file format interface for newspaper production systems. It is available with semi automatic or fully automated plate loading and unloading. The machine to machine accuracy of the KODAK SQUARESPOT thermal imaging heads, combined with the binary nature of thermal imaging, achieves consistent and repeatable halftone dots capable of reproducing high linescreen AM or STACCATO screening. At NEXPO, the TRENDSETTER NEWS thermal platesetter is being demonstrated on Kodak’s booth and on several other industry supplier booths.
•KODAK THERMALNEWS digital plates, designed to meet the rigorous demands of newspaper printing with STACCATO screening capabilities, and very fast imaging and processing. Precise reproduction of high resolution, first generation thermal dots, with no dot gain at plate level, provides outstanding quality output and run lengths of 200,000+ without postbaking. And faster makeready and plate reliability gives newspapers extra editorial time. See the THERMALNEWS printing plates processed by the KODAK MERCURY News plate processor live on the Kodak booth at NEXPO.
•KODAK VIOLETNEWS digital plates, for newspapers using a violet laser CTP device in demanding high productivity environments. Resilient press performance and low developer consumption reduce costs and provide excellent efficiency. This fast imaging, photopolymer plate from Kodak uses the same high quality grained and anodized aluminum substrate as Kodak's market leading thermal plates, delivering crisp, clean images with stable reproduction.
•Kodak will preview a trial preheat/postbake thermal plate for newspapers that require a plate without interleaf. This plate is intended to provide enhanced features specific to newspapers, including faster imaging and processing, longer run lengths both baked and unbaked, and high resolution capability. The trial plate is currently in beta and it is anticipated to be commercially available in mid 2006.
•KODAK STACCATO screening, which produces high fidelity, artifact free images that exhibit fine detail and more impactful color in newspapers. STACCATO screening creates images without halftone rosettes, screening moiré, gray level limitations, or abrupt jumps in tone, with no impact on RIPing or rendering time. KODAK SQUARESPOT thermal imaging provides reliable on plate imaging of the fine dot structure of STACCATO screening making it a practical solution for newspaper printing and an effective competitive edge for publishers.
•KODAK VERSAMARK D Series continuous inkjet printers, which can be placed inline with mailroom or press equipment for addressing newspapers, Total Market Coverage (TMC) and other direct mail pieces for individual copy delivery. The reliability, flexibility, and ease of use of these printers make them an ideal solution for addressing and personalization within the newspaper production process.
“Kodak is bringing technology to market that is changing the way newspapers print,” noted McLean. “We are focused on helping newspaper customers do more with their presses and do that work more quickly and more consistently.”